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Writing 2: Critical Thinking & Writing

So, what's the point of this writing class?
It’s an advanced self examination of your writing and thinking processes. You'll learn to write like a scholar, which will help you in future college courses. You'll deconstruct logical fallacies and compose advanced persuasive arguments, which will help you in many contexts. You’ll also experiment with the process of writing, discovering how, when, and even where you work best.

Bottom line: you’ll learn many strategies to use in future writing. And successful completion (a "C" or better) is UC and CSU transferable.

What book do I need? (available at the IVC Bookstore)
The Presence of Others
5th Edition
Andrea Lundsford, editor.
Bedford St. Martin's Publishers
ISBN 0-312-464398
Rent at chegg.com for $9.99

How will my grade be determined?
Five formal essays (with 1st & 2nd drafts), some informal writing, quizzes, a midterm, final, and participation. As this course will focus on collaborative learning, it’s crucial that you’re active in class discussions. We’ll determine the percentages for the components together. Here’s the breakdown:
(3pm & 5pm)
20/25% Participation (active discussion in class, readings, online activity, communication with teacher, bribes)
__% Essay 1: Consumerism Study
__% Essay 2: Think Again Argument
__% Essay 3: Education Analysis
__% Essay 4: Web Writing Tutorial
__% Essay 5: Genre Film Analysis
__% Quizzes
__% Midterm (in-class essay)
__% Final Exam (in-class essay)

Extra credit opportunities at http://writing.markfullmer.com/extracredit

Grading Bracket
A 90.0-100% (Credit)
B 80.0-89.99% (Credit)
C 72.0-79.99% (Credit)
D 60.0-71.99% (No Credit)
F Below 60.0% (No Credit)

To do poorly, cut class and conferences, don’t participate in workshops and discussions, write your drafts at the last minute, don’t work very hard on revisions, and resist suggestions from me and classmates about your writing. To do well, participate actively, work hard on drafts and revisions, and experiment with different approaches.

Your essay’s final grade comes from multiple drafts (not just the final draft; I reward writers who take risks and play with options; a writer who experiments between 1st and 2nd drafts will be rewarded, even if the final draft isn’t perfect). You also have the option to revise 2 essays at the end of the semester for a better grade.

What’s the attendance policy?
If you can’t make class, email me as soon as possible so I can adjust class activities as necessary. You’re allowed __ absences without penalty (after 15 minutes is tardy, or half an absence). After __ absences, you will be dropped from the course.

And late work?
Showing up to class without a draft or assignment will disrupt our work, since we'll often spend time in class examining your work in progress. Late work (either drafts or informal writing) grades will go down one degree (e.g., B to C) per each day late.

What if I want more individual feedback on my writing?
I'm happy to make time to discuss your writing. If my office hours don't work, email me and we'll work something out. Also consider visiting the Writing Center.

Ten Tips for College Writing
10. No Bull. Professors read heaps of papers. They know when you're just filling up space. Make every word count. Believe it or not, you'll likely get a better grade on a shorter but richer paper than on a long-winded one.

9. Always write to astound your professors. They'll reward your effort, whether you're successful or not.

8. Don't be afraid to ask your professors questions. That's what they're there for. Chances are if you have a question, someone else in the class has the same one. And anyway, asking questions is a great way to show that you care about your grade.

7. If you're going to miss class, let the professor know.

6. Follow standard formatting rules. See www.mla.org for FAQs. 12-point Times font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, left justified text, titles on all drafts, surname and page number on the top right of each page.

5. Poofread carefully to see if you any words out. And figure out how to customize your spellchecker so that it catches the right things.

4. If you can cut a word, do it. When Stephen King started writing, his 1st drafts were around 2,500 words, and his 2nd drafts 3,300. Soon his 1st drafts were 2,500 words and his 2nd drafts 2,200. Shortly after that, he got published.

3. Essays need titles (includes drafts).

2. Use standard academic capitalization and punctuation. On the internet and emails, convention allows us to write in lower-case, use emoticons, abbreviations, fragments, and slang. In academia, the conventions are different, and important to follow—they influence how your teacher will read your work.

1. Reread your work, and you'll find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be edited out by rereading and editing. And always finish what you

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